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What is Apple DockKit? iPhone’s camera tracking technology explained
In This Article
Whether you’re a keen content creator or just want a hands-free way to make video calls, Apple DockKit is a useful technology, but what actually is it and how does it work?
We’ve put together this guide to DockKit so you can learn more about how to use the technology yourself.
What is Apple DockKit?
In its simplest form, DockKit is an automated subject tracking technology, which Apple explains “allows the iPhone to act as the central computer for motorised camera stands”.
When an iPhone is paired with a DockKit-compatible motorised stand, the stand will extend the field of view of the iPhone camera by up to 360 degrees of pan and 90 degrees of tilt, by supporting a “Pitch and Yaw motion model” (which is essentially vertical and horizontal movement.)
This technology will allow the user to focus on their content without having to worry about staying within the frame, as the stand will do this for you.
How does DockKit work?
The DockKit system tracker “runs inside the camera processing pipeline” and analyses camera frames to decide which subject to track and how to keep it in frame.
Apple explains that “much like how a cinematographer observes real world events and adjusts the camera perspective, DockKit infers an object from camera frames and adjusts the motors through actuation commands to the dock.”
Utilising DockKit technology is easy too, as you simply need to pair your iPhone to a compatible, motorised stand and let it do the tracking for you as “all the magic happens in the application and system services on the iPhone itself”.
Which apps support DockKit?
As DockKit’s motor control and subject tracking is handled within iOS, any app that uses the iOS camera APIs can take advantage of DockKit.
Apple highlights that not only is this a great technology for video capture, live streaming and video conferencing, but it will also create “opportunities for better experiences and new features in apps” across fitness, enterprise, education, healthcare and more.
As this is relatively new technology, we expect to see more devices support DockKit soon. Most recently, theInsta 360 Flow Prolaunched with DockKit compatibility.
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Jess joined the Trusted Reviews team early in 2024, after working for almost three years in lifestyle and technology PR. Using the skills gained from her previous role, Jess has taken on a new challen…
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Why trust our journalism?
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
